Redlands City Council to consider fee waiver for Airfest

REDLANDS >> Despite the banners displayed across Cajon Street promoting the 2014 Airfest, a decision of go or no-go still needs to be made by the City Council.

On Tuesday, the council will consider applications from the event’s organizers, Hangar 24 Charities, to waive $70,666.80 in fees and to sell alcohol at the city-owned Redlands Municipal Airport.

The Airport Advisory Board on April 2 voted to recommend the approval of the fee waiver and the permit to sell alcohol at the Hangar 24 Airfest & 6th Anniversary Celebration on May 16 and 17.

Hangar 24 Charities expects a crowd of 25,000 people and to raise $525,000 from the event, according to a city staff report.

The fees the council will consider waiving include the costs to the city to provide police and fire personnel, street sweeping, parking lot preparation, barricade rental and a show mobile rental deposit, according to the staff report.

Several meetings were held with the event organizers and the Airport Advisory Board, which were attended by tenants and business owners at the airport.

Several voiced concerns about the potential impact the show could have on them.

Last year’s show was hosted by Hangar 24, a brewery that operates at the airport, to raise money for its charity that aims to protect agriculture in the area.